Evercade?!

[Tanooki]

So is it a Piko issue or a save state glitch issue with the firmware itself?  Have you tried facebook or even PM on here towards piko to see if he has any answers?  I mean I could in the meantime PM him and ask on my side.

 

Talked to him, says that it appears to be an emulator problem and he's not sure what one they're using as they won't list it.  But it's the SNES games that were having issues.  Yet these same games on their own carts, emulator elsewhere that run the things where they sell them, it's fine.  It seems to be an evercade problem.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Tanooki

[8th lutz]

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

So is it a Piko issue or a save state glitch issue with the firmware itself?  Have you tried facebook or even PM on here towards piko to see if he has any answers?  I mean I could in the meantime PM him and ask on my side.

 

Talked to him, says that it appears to be an emulator problem and he's not sure what one they're using as they won't list it.  But it's the SNES games that were having issues.  Yet these same games on their own carts, emulator elsewhere that run the things where they sell them, it's fine.  It seems to be an evercade problem.

I don't know if it a save state issue, but I leaning towards that. The firmware for saving states is not available yet outside of a small group of people that are testing that firmware out. The only firemware update my younger brother has is the button mapping. 

 

I think my younger brother wants to want for a complain till the  save state firmware is available for the general public. 

 

I do not have a Facebook account. My younger brother would be the one doing a pm since he is one who actually played it, not me. I only witnessed him playing the games. I only read facebook posts and twitter comments concerning evercade despite not having an account.

 

What I can tell you is I also saw him play the Technos Collection and Megacat Studios Collection. He did not have any save state problems on the Technos Collection and Megacat studios collection.

 

 

[Video]

I didn't actually try saving the piko games. Some crashed on booting, most the crashes were just random though, like get in a fight, and get kicked out of the game.

 

I've played all 10 initial carts, and so far, it's great. Love top gear, er, racer, hope a next piko cart has topgear 2k, and or 3k. Even though it's buggy, that's probably my favorite snes era game. Like someone above said, crashing doesn't happen reliably, most times the cart behaves, but sometimes, it's just going to crash. Maybe something happens when you power on the system that occasionally corrupts the emulator, but it seems only the piko cart has had issues (in handheld mode) I've not tried on a tv yet, upconverting to hd may yield more issues, but I've not ordered a cable yet, and I'm mostly interested in the system as a handheld anyways, so till the console version comes out (two playered baby!) It's not much of an issue for me.

 

Only thing I really don't like about the system is really the save state. Instead of a single slot being displayed, I'd prefer a page display. It would also be nice if the slot at minimum, said it was occupied, and preferably, with what. I've no idea how many save slots the system has, I scrolled through over 200 before going back, so it has enough slots for multiple saves for all games (currently available) but it's up to you to remember what is saved where.

 

Edit, on saves, when you select a slot, and save, the only hint that it did anything is it goes back to the game. If it just sits there, I think it hasn't saved. Loading a game doesn't appear to care where, as long as your in that game. It needs an indication it's saving, but my experience so far is it it was successful, it kicks you back to the game.

 

Oh, cart 12 has a virtual empty shelf in amazon, so I take it 11 and 12 are out now, or very soon.

Edited July 17, 2020 by Video

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, Video said:

I've no idea how many save slots the system has, I scrolled through over 200 before going back, so it has enough slots for multiple saves for all games (currently available) but it's up to you to remember what is saved where.

I didn't go as far as you, even for my review; I think I stopped at 150 or something. That's ridiculous. Thumbnails would be great. At least the slots are not shared between games, but how are you supposed to remember how many saves you use? Because of that I only use one slot per game... -_-

 

3 hours ago, Video said:

so I take it 11 and 12 are out now, or very soon

You can preorder them but they're released in October (so not Q3 as announced).

 

Edited July 17, 2020 by roots.genoa

[Video]

Ok, that explains the carts. Probably delays due to the corona. 12 has 2 games on it. I'm hoping for a Namco 3 at some point, I want ms Pac Man (2 had pacattack?? Not bad, but I'd have preferred Pacwoman lol)

 

Email blaze, and maybe by the time the console comes out, it will get thumbnails or something for the save slots. Saves may be variable since I'm sure some games save bigger, I tried scrolling down (so to speak) but it won't scroll from 1 to the last save slot. I may run it till I hit the end sometime, 999 I could see, but if it goes beyond that I'll probably never know.

[roots.genoa]

4 hours ago, Video said:

12 has 2 games on it

That's the one I preordered, since they're two recent, good homebrew games, that cost $50 each in physical edition.

[Steven Pendleton]

2 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

That's the one I preordered, since they're two recent, good homebrew games, that cost $50 each in physical edition.

If you mean Xeno Crisis and Tanglewood, I wouldn't describe Xeno Crisis as good... it's extremely excellent in all ways! I love Xeno Crisis! I hope that the button mapping for the 8-way shooting works on this system like it's supposed to. The system has 4 face buttons and 2 shoulder buttons, so it should work just fine if they take the time to get it working properly.

 

I have not played Tanglewood, though I want to since I have heard that it's good. I just never remember to buy the damn thing! I suppose I should try the demo before I buy it, though, just to be safe.

[TrekMD]

A firmware update was released yesterday for the Evarcade.  From the email they sent:

 

This update covers the following changes and improvements:

• Button mapping options in specific games (full list available online)
• Brave Battle Saga on Piko Collection 1 – Crash condition is fixed.
• Little Medusa on Mega Cat Collection 1 – Crash condition is fixed.
• Menu “Bloop” sound can now be turned off.
• FW version added in the Main Menu.
• More robust save states function for when the unit is turned off.
• Note: This update includes all 1.1a button mapping fixes.

[roots.genoa]

2 hours ago, TrekMD said:

Menu “Bloop” sound can now be turned off.

Best update ever.

[8th lutz]

Lynx Collection 1 & 2 now are given a date of November 6th for being released.  The collections will be ready to Preorder on July 30th.

 

The information is found here: https://www.evercade.co.uk/atari-lynx-1-and-2-evercade-cartridges-pre-order-date-confirmed/

[Video]

Lynx? I'll need to pre-order those.

 

Started a funstock account to order tanglewood and Oliver twist carts, what's two more? One says september, the other october, so it'll be a bit before they come in.

[King_Salamon]

I was excited to see a Canadian distributor for the Evercade... ordered my initial goodies with them and it's been awesome!

 

Going to order some more carts and definitely the new releases coming this fall!  At the price the games are, it's an easy order to make.  I'll have each release as I am sure to like at least a game on each cart... speaking of which... that Xeno Crisis is looking sooo good!!

 

I hope we get a future Lynx cart with Xenophobe on it!  The two Lynx carts show some promise and will take me back to my Lynx days... now with a better screen and better battery life!  There are some titles I've never played and will have me entertained for hours!

[8th lutz]

I have a heads up. Multiple people had their pre-orders of Oliver Twins Collection and the Xeno Crisis/Tanglewood duel cartridge canceled by Amazon USA.  

 

People also had problems with pre-orders with Amazon with the Launch titles earlier this year also. Basically Amazon is screwing up handling pre-orders. 

[Video]

Wonder how much of the issue is" covid" ,vs, "we don't want to deal with it cause it's not local"?I

 

It's why I started a funstock account, Amazon apparently isn't going to be a reliable access point for evercade.

 

Speaking of that, lynx collection 1 and 2 are available to pre-order now.

[King_Salamon]

Yeah there have been issues with Switch games on Amazon getting cancelled for no reason.  It's a strange situation.

 

Thankfully, Evercade's website has a list of retailers and for Canada I found VGP and they not only offered free shipping (over a certain price $50 I think?) but they also have slightly better prices than Amazon.  

 

I originally purchased the system and 3 games pack-in (Atari Data East and Interplay) along with MadCat and Technos.  I've since pre-ordered the back-ordered NAmco Collections 1 and 2, Piko and Atari Vol 2.  Should be available at the end of the month.  Oh and I also pre-ordered the Oliver Twins Coll and Xeno Crisis/Tanglewood games.

 

Next couple of weeks I will pre-order the Lynx collections.. no rush at the moment.

 

I wonder if Evercade is planning on announcing another release for December as they have a poll on Twitter asking how many releases they should announce next (1 or 2 or 3).  Could be interesting to see what they have in store next!  In the meantime, I'm loving this little console!  Finished Double Dragon finally... only took me 32 years!  lol  Time to play some Atari collection next.

[8th lutz]

The makers of Evercade announced that they signed a new publisher. They didn't say the publishers name. 

[King_Salamon]

11 hours ago, 8th lutz said:

The makers of Evercade announced that they signed a new publisher. They didn't say the publishers name. 

In addition to the new publisher they also mentioned that the August re-stock has arrived!  I'm looking forward to getting my Namco collections and other goodies!  Perhaps the stores will have them available before the end of the month!

 

They also hired a new member for the Evercade team so perhaps business is picking up and this additional person means more product!

[wolfy62]

I preordered my 2 Lynx cartridges from Fun stock.

Those are a main reason I decided to purchase the system,for a bunch of retro games I never played. 

Seems like an outstanding price point at which to accomplish that!

Looking forward to my Evercade and 3 cart bundle arriving this week.?

Any thoughts on them producing a cart with Atari Jaquar games?

I never owned that one either. 

Edited August 16, 2020 by wolfy62
Added content.

[roots.genoa]

2 hours ago, wolfy62 said:

Any thoughts on them producing a cart with Atari Jaquar games?

It would be great, but given the state of Jaguar emulation, and the fact that Evercade is probably just powerful enough for 16-bit games, it seems unlikely to me. I sure hope I'm mistaken, though.

[King_Salamon]

On 8/16/2020 at 11:52 AM, wolfy62 said:

I preordered my 2 Lynx cartridges from Fun stock.

Those are a main reason I decided to purchase the system,for a bunch of retro games I never played. 

Seems like an outstanding price point at which to accomplish that!

Looking forward to my Evercade and 3 cart bundle arriving this week.?

Any thoughts on them producing a cart with Atari Jaquar games?

I never owned that one either. 

Although the Lynx carts are a nice bonus to owning the system, it wasn't my main reason.  Mine has been the fact that you get multiple games on a cart and it encourages you to at least try the unknown games... and then you find a great title!  As the old Colecovision manuals would say... "The fun of discovery!"  lol

 

One of the reasons I picked up the Evercade was to enjoy multiple systems without having to own all those old systems.  I've sold the majority of retro systems as I am not inclined to fix them when they die and don't want to have a pile of systems collecting dust.  I have had that for many years and I grew tired of hooking up a system to play one game for a bit and then put it back in the cabinet.  It left me not wanting to play game X as of the hassle.  I have plenty enough of the current gen systems to take up my entertainment cabinet.  Now the Evercade sits on a shelf with it's little cases and makes up for multiple systems and tons of carts!  I guess I've become a gaming minimalist.  lol

 

As for the Jaguar... the emulation has been an issue for a long time and the system has been out for decades.  And after playing a lot of  the games on that system... sometimes it's best not to get the Jag on the Evercade.  Leave the thought of Jaguar in your thoughts lol.  Mind you... having Jag Tempest on an Evercade cart would sell me on the cart alone!  lol  It's just that a lot of the other titles have not aged well (and weren't so hot when the game was brand new).

 

The Lynx goodies are something that has me intrigued... I haven't had a Lynx in years... the battery issues were a big issue.  And then finding carts for it were a serious hassle until the internet and ebay etc.  By then I was out of the Lynx.  Getting to replay some of these games is exciting to me... and again, getting to play games I never thought to try (and the ones I couldn't find locally) is really appealing!  Oh and some of the Songbird specials on the one Lynx collection will give some 'new' stuff too!

 

 

[8th lutz]

I got Evercade as a surprised birthday gift earlier this week. I have access to all the Evercade games my younger brother has. My evercade system has the latest firmware update. 

 

I only played Atari Collection 1 since I want a collection that would quick to play.  I own 70 percent of the games In Atari Games Collection 1 before Atari Collection 1 was announced for Evercade. I think the emulation was done well. I think Tempest was a mistake to be added to this collection. Tempest was a prototype game for the 2600 and I think it is best that it Tempest was not released back when the 2600 was on in retail stores.

 

I will not be playing a lot on my new Evercade system at this point. I had no sound issues in HDMI mode for Atari Collection 1.

 

When I got Evercade, I am already working a game trying to beat. I've been playing Monster Boy and the Curse Kingdom for the Switch. I am in the falls part in the game. I think it still will a while before I beat it. 

[8th lutz]

On 8/16/2020 at 11:52 AM, wolfy62 said:

I preordered my 2 Lynx cartridges from Fun stock.

Those are a main reason I decided to purchase the system,for a bunch of retro games I never played. 

Seems like an outstanding price point at which to accomplish that!

Looking forward to my Evercade and 3 cart bundle arriving this week.?

Any thoughts on them producing a cart with Atari Jaquar games?

I never owned that one either. 

I have a good amount of Lynx games, but I do not have all the games in the 2 Lynx collections. As far as Jaguar goes, they already said a couple months that they have no plans of doing that system right now and the Jaguar emulation is a problem.

 

When it comes to Evercade's graphic capabilities, it was asked in the past. The problem is the answer was inconsistent since it was asked in multiple weeks. They did come out and say they did not test Evercade for 32 bit game consoles yet.

 

I think what arcade games the Evercade gets next year will answer Might answer part of the question in terms of Evercade's capabilities in graphics. Of the publishers Evercade has so far, I think Namco has the most advanced Arcade game libraries and a very large arcade game library. Namco's past arcade games includes Ridge Racer and Tekken. 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by 8th lutz

[+davidcalgary29]

1 hour ago, 8th lutz said:

I only played Atari Collection 1 since I want a collection that would quick to play.  I own 70 percent of the games In Atari Games Collection 1 before Atari Collection 1 was announced for Evercade. I think the emulation was done well. I think Tempest was a mistake to be added to this collection. Tempest was a prototype game for the 2600 and I think it is best that it Tempest was not released back when the 2600 was on in retail stores.

 

I'm going to respectfully disagree with this. I thought the inclusion of 2600 Tempest was a lovely gift for Atari collectors who might have wanted to try out the proto but not spend the extra bucks getting a cart (or multicart and downloading the ROM, or play it on an emulator). I mean yes -- it's an unplayable mess -- but the fact that they included it shows that Evercade wants to go above and beyond the standard "hits" collection, and makes "Atari No. 1" collectible in itself. An entire cart of protos would be a great idea.

[King_Salamon]

7 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said:

I'm going to respectfully disagree with this. I thought the inclusion of 2600 Tempest was a lovely gift for Atari collectors who might have wanted to try out the proto but not spend the extra bucks getting a cart (or multicart and downloading the ROM, or play it on an emulator). I mean yes -- it's an unplayable mess -- but the fact that they included it shows that Evercade wants to go above and beyond the standard "hits" collection, and makes "Atari No. 1" collectible in itself. An entire cart of protos would be a great idea.

Agree on including 2600  Tempest as a bonus on the cart.  There are 20 games including this one so having one or two protos/unreleased games is a good way to give these types of games some exposure without having the consumer feeling ripped off.  I also think this is how Blaze is hedging their bets on these Atari collections.  They have a collection of a dozen or so mixed 2600 games with a sprinkling of 7800 games and then a couple curiosities to round it out.  Here's to hoping we see a future collection 3 and 4.

 

I will disagree on the idea of an entire cart of protos.  I think it would be too niche of a cart for the Evercade.  Don't get me wrong, I would totally pick it up!  lol  Perhaps a proto/homebrew 2600 cart?  There could be a cool collection that way that would grab the consumers attention... I can see it now, someone walks into a GAME shop and sees Atari Collection 8 with protos and homebrews and the consumer says, I remember playing that game on my Atari back in the 80's.  lol

[+davidcalgary29]

3 hours ago, King_Salamon said:

I will disagree on the idea of an entire cart of protos.  I think it would be too niche of a cart for the Evercade.  Don't get me wrong, I would totally pick it up!  lol  Perhaps a proto/homebrew 2600 cart?  There could be a cool collection that way that would grab the consumers attention... I can see it now, someone walks into a GAME shop and sees Atari Collection 8 with protos and homebrews and the consumer says, I remember playing that game on my Atari back in the 80's.  lol

So does Evercade. I asked them about this, and they said "no", although they were always looking for "curiosities". Here's hoping they move into home computers next.